


A Twist in Time

by penandpathways



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Next Avengers, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Avengers Family, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Past Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov - Freeform, Past Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov - Freeform, capwidow - Freeform, romanogers - Freeform, slight OOC Avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:34:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26354287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penandpathways/pseuds/penandpathways
Summary: "I think... I think that we have accidentally traveled to the past," James said, wide-eyed.His sister blinked. "What?"He drew out a long breath. "We're in the year 2017."
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 19
Kudos: 160





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the son and daughter of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff accidentally travels to the past.

"This sucks."

"Well, it's your fault for keeping your homework to the last minute. So stop complaining!"

"But it's a field trip to the woods! They do it just _once_ in every four years!"

"Shut up and finish your biology essay, James!"

The seventeen-year-old boy groaned in annoyance, running a hand through his sandy-blonde hair in the process. He banged his head on his desk, making his sister jump in surprise. After a while, he looked back up to see her with a not so amused look on her face.

Her striking-blue orbs glared at him in intensity. With a sigh, he turned back to his desk and began writing, taking a peek at his biology book every now and then.

The red-haired girl rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. She pulled out her phone and busied herself with its apps. The two siblings sat silently in the detention room when a videotape of a certain star-spangled man started to play on the screen.

He had a look of disapproval on his face and spoke as if he was directly talking to them through the TV screen.

 _"So, you got detention?"_ The voice of Captain America had caught both of the siblings' attention. _"You screwed up and you know what you did was wrong."_

"Didn't know they still play this thing till now," James voiced out, still scribbling on the piece of paper.

Allie continued to watch the tape, "I still feel weird seeing dad on a screen though."

"I feel weird seeing him in that suit. It looks like a drawing taken out straight from a comic strip." He tried to hold back his laughter.

"At least we know his fashion sense improved tremendously," Allie said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks to mom and Uncle Tony." he mused, before deciding to divert the topic to a new one, "Hey Als,"

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"I know dad signed your consent form and agreed to it. So why didn't you go with the rest?" James asked curiously.

"To keep an eye on you duh," she deadpanned.

"I'm perfectly fine with you not breathing on my neck every minute."

She sunk back in her seat, "Well too bad you're stuck with me then. I stayed to make sure you finish it. Mom and dad won't be happy to hear you choose camping over homework."

James blanched. It is true though, their parents were very strict when it comes to their education. Well, being the children of two superheroes, they believe homework is nothing compared to what they do for a living. He was damn sure that his dad wouldn't have it if he put his personal interests first before his responsibilities, same with his mom. They would always him and Allie that.

And Allie...

His sister was two years younger than him. He didn't want to admit it but sometimes she acts more maturely than him at most times. She would mostly be the one to remind him that he needed this and that for a certain school project, or she'd tell him to not forget feed the fish before leaving.

Almost all the time, James would see their mom in her— yet he _highly_ doubts she sees their dad in him.

Then a sudden thought clouded his mind. He remembered Allie telling him how excited she was to go camping with the rest of the class. She heard a lot of rumors from Torunn, Francis, and Azari, of how cool it was to sneak into the woods at night. That's the reason why she was jumping in glee when their dad and mom signed the consent forms. She wanted to go to the field trip more than anything and yet...

With that thought in mind, his expression turned to one full of guilt. He swallowed the lump in his throat, quickly took his pen and started writing again without any more complaints or daydreaming.

Allie smiled softly and simply watched his father's silly tape in silence.

Finally, after a struggling fifteen minutes— he was done. James released a sigh of relief and dropped his pen, cracking his knuckles.

Allie snatched the paper from him and started to read its content. Her brother rubbed his eyes tiredly, before glancing at her. After a while, she handed it back to him and nodded approvingly, "Good job. No grammar mistakes."

"Really? Not one?" his eyes twinkled in amazement.

She shook her head in response. With a triumphant grin, James stood up and started to clean his things. He held the book and essay firmly in his grasp before arranging his chair properly.

"I just need to put this on Mr. Hewbert's desk in the lab. Do you want to wait here or come with me?" he asked.

Allie stood up as well, swinging her backpack on her shoulder, "I'll come." She glanced back at the TV screen with a silly smile, "See you later, dad."

Captain America continued to play its tape, repeatedly telling them about the consequences of detention. James shook his head in amusement, "Come on, Als." He waved at the screen, "Bye dad!"

The two siblings went off and proceeded to the Science lab. James lead the way as he knew a lot of shortcuts in the school than her. Allie, seemingly impressed, taunted him how it explains the fact that he would never be late to their classes even though he woke up _later_ than her.

James placed his essay on top of his teacher's desk and put the thick book back on the shelves. "Okay, I'm done let's go—" He paused when he saw his sister fiddling with something at the back of the room, "Allie?"

"Yeah?" she echoed, yet not glancing at him.

The blonde slowly walked over to her, curious at what caught her attention. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of a weird-looking device. It had a circular object in the middle — one that they were sure was similar to the portals they see in Sci-Fi movies, and two buttons on the side of it. Beneath all of it was a blank plate.

Allie stared at it both in amazement and curiosity. She ran her thumb along the device, to which James caught her wrist to stop her.

"Allie stop!" he exclaimed.

"What? It looks completely harmless."

"Yeah for now," he snorted, "Come on, let's just go home."

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat. Nothing's going to happen," she said nonchalantly.

James shot her a glare, his bright-green eyes narrowed in intensity. This was the reason they often fight. Allie may be mature enough for her age but she always lets her curiosity get the best of her. In contrast to him, he may slack off sometimes, but he never dares meddle with something beyond his knowledge.

A trait that he acquired from his dad.

"Allie.." he warned.

The red-head completely ignored his brother as she continued to reach out and touch the smooth, silvery surface of the strange object. However, the second she pressed her thumb against the blank plate, it lit up. The portal opened up, showing a vast image of the Avengers facility— their current home.

"Wow," she whispered, mesmerized by what just happened, "I wonder what this is. Seems to me like it's another one of Uncle Tony's inventions. What do you think?"

"If it is anything like his inventions, it's best to stay out of it." he asserted.

She rolled her eyes, muttering, "Always the killjoy." She stepped closer to reach out to it.

James went to stop her, "Don't touch—"

Too late. Allie's hand had already made contact with the image inside the portal itself. She was startled when her hand went through the screen but cried out in shock when it started to suck her hand in.

She struggled to get it out, "Ah!" She cried, "It's... my hand.. I can't get it out!"

"I told you!" He hissed, tugging on her arm and tried to pull it back to them, "Just pull your arm out!"

"I'm trying you idiot!"

"So I'm the idiot here?" he asked flatly, still pulling her arm.

"Just help me out!" Allie exclaimed, exerting more force. But it was no use, in fact, it only made it worse. The extra force they exerted only made them lose their balance— sending Allie's _whole_ arm into the portal.

"Ahh!" she cried out in worry.

"This is why we shouldn't mess around with things we don't know of!" James chastised.

"Save the scolding for later would you?" she snapped, before feeling another force pull her again deeper. Before they knew it, her shoulder was sucked in too.

James pulled on her other arm harder, "Allie!"

"I got an idea!"

"What?"

"Let go!"

_"What?"_

"Let go, James!" Allie repeated with more force,

"Are you _crazy?"_ He looked at her incredulously, refusing to follow her orders. "You want to be sucked into this thing completely?"

"Just trust me!" she yelled back.

"No!" he said stubbornly, his green eyes flashing with fear and anxiety. He gave the hardest tug he could muster when Allie felt something pull near her stomach.

"Ah shit," she cursed.

The next thing they knew they were both sucked into the portal, its surface gleaming brightly before dying out as quick as lightning. The surface returned to its smooth and silver-y state.

The Science lab was what it was again before the two siblings entered the room— _completely deserted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write this fic because my Romanogers heart can't accept what happened in Avengers: Endgame. And also because I'm obsessed with time-travel fics. Lol.
> 
> I don't intend this to be a self-advertising note but if you want more visuals for this fic, you can check out my Wattpad account with the same username. It has more gif's, images, and etc. So, yeah.


	2. One

"James, hey, wake up."

He tried to shrug off the hand shaking his shoulder. "Go away."

She rolled her eyes. "Get up!"

James only shifted his weight, giving his back to her, murmuring something she wasn't able to comprehend.

"Fine, you leave me no choice." She eyed a nearby janitor's mop and bucket.

The next thing he knew, something cold splashed onto his face. He shot up from his comfortable position and began to cough furiously. His eyebrows knitted in exasperation but quickly changed to a confused look when he saw Allie standing before him. "Als?" he asked.

"About time, sleepyhead."

He groaned, wiping his face dry. "Where are we?"

"I don't know exactly," They stood up to look around. Allie observed that judging from the metal walls and steel floor they were standing on, they were no longer at school. "I think we're back home," she reckoned.

James peeked his head out to see the dark hallway with only faint lights surrounding it, but the various electronic-slash-tech things that made up the vast room proved that they were indeed back at their place.

"I've never been to this part of the facility before, though," he curiously glanced around, "but it seems like it."

"So Uncle Tony's weird looking invention was a _teleporter?"_ she gasped, astonished, "Ooh! I've got to tell him about it!"

"You're such a nerd," he claimed.

She scoffed. "You just don't like the fact I'm smarter than you."

"Shut up."

She stuck her tongue at him. James raised an eyebrow, "What are you, five?"

Allie gave him a frown, then noticed the window outside indicated it was already night-time. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion, glancing at her watch, "How long were we gone? I'm sure we just stayed for about an hour."

Her brother shrugged. "Don't know and don't care. I just want to rest."

She let out a sigh. "You're right. Come on, then."

They began to make their way towards the exit in the dark hallways. After they rounded a corner, finally, the familiar sight of the elevators greeted them.

James noticed the button panel beside the doors, as well as the thumb plate beside it. Their parents and the rest of their uncles and aunts agreed that the most effective way for security is to install a fingerprint scanner on the elevators. Only the Avengers, their children, and some of the most entrusted SHIELD agents were given access to the upper levels in the facility.

He glanced at the sign, Level _2_. It read. But their rooms were located on _Level 4-B,_ so he pressed on the arrow pointing upwards.

 _"Please press your thumb on the plate for analysis of fingerprint."_ A robotic voice sounded.

James did as what he was told. A green line immediately moved across his thumb back and forth before stopping. He was alarmed when it transitioned to red.

_"Access denied. You do not have permission to enter the upper levels."_

"What?" he exclaimed, completely baffled. He tried on again and pressed his thumb against the plate. The green line repeatedly did the action only to end up hearing the same results as the previous one.

_"Access denied. You do not have permission to enter the upper levels."_

"You have got to be kidding me," James complained, running a hand through his hair in irritation, "I think this thing's broken."

Allie pushed him aside, "Let me try."

She did the same as what her brother did—yet the outcome was completely the same. _"Access denied. You do not have permission to enter the upper levels."_

The fifteen-year-old red-head raised an eyebrow, "That's weird.." she muttered, "This never happened before. Let me call dad," she took out her phone.

James shook his head, "Call mom. She knows a lot more than dad when it comes to these things."

"Oh, right—"

"Who's there?"

They jumped at the voice, frozen in place. Both siblings shared a startled look, their eyes widening to the size of oranges. It was a guy's voice and somehow—it sounded strangely familiar. James gritted his teeth while Allie closed her eyes in nervousness, feeling her heart's pace increased twice than before.

They slowly turned around. The moment they saw who that voice belonged to, their jaws dropped in surprise.

A tall handsome young man stood in front of them. His sandy blonde-hair sat on his head while his bright-blue eyes looked at them warily. He was wearing a brown jacket, the ends of his gray shirt peeking out, and denim pants.

The light coming from the phone in his hands shone on his face, giving the siblings a clearer view of the young man.

"Umm..." James glanced at Allie, who was trying not to gape like a fish.

"Are you lost? Who are you?" the blonde man asked them, his tone getting eerily suspicious.

Confusion was written all over their faces as they didn't know what to answer. They still couldn't understand what was happening.

"We're..." he struggled to answer, "SHIELD agents?"

Allie inwardly face-palmed herself. Her brother was not very good at making excuses and was most especially _not_ a very good liar at all.

The guy raised his phone up, the light illuminated both of their faces. Allie winced at the sudden brightness. He gave them a perplexed look, "Huh. You seem to be very young for SHIELD agents and Tony didn't breach me about having new recruits."

"That's because..." James trailed off.

"That's because we had just been accepted." Allie filled in, "Mr. Stark told us that we could stay for the night since he would give us our final breaching tomorrow. As for the being _'too young'_ comment, thank you, we'll take it as a compliment."

She heard a deep sigh and guessed it was her brother being relieved to finally get out of that intense interrogation.

The guy still seemed to be doubtful of them, "Hmm. Did Stark tell you anything else?"

Allie had sensed the tone in his voice. She knew this tone, almost sounding like it was practiced a few times before. The gears began turning in her head as she concluded something—it was probably a security question. More like a code specifically meant for the SHIELD employees.

She tried to think harder. The answer's been conveyed to her numerous times already, the only thing she needed now was to remember it.

_Think, Allie, think._

"I think he said something about..." she trailed off, biting her lip, "Language?"

The two siblings waited anxiously when the guy didn't move. After a second, his expression changed to one more warmly and casual. "I knew he'd tell everyone that," he grunted.

A chuckle escaped Allie's lips, to which she quickly covered it up when the two guys looked at her in surprise. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

The guy gave her a smile, when his face turned into a look of confusion again, "So are you guys lost or something? Because all SHIELD agents' rooms are located on the third level."

"We tried to," James said, "but it's denying our access."

"Hmm. Tony must've forgotten to edit the system." The guy said, before pressing his thumb to the plate, "He's still not back from his mission though. In the meantime, you can ask Maria Hill, you do know her right?"

The two siblings nodded in response.

"Good," he said, before the robotic voice sounded again, " _Access granted."_

The elevator doors slid open and the guy went in first. When he noticed the two were still not moving, he ushered them to come in, "I don't bite guys don't worry." he said with a slight laugh.

"Er, right." James said, quite awkwardly. Once they were inside, the guy pressed two buttons indicating, _**Level 3**_ and _ **Level 4-A.**_

The three stood silently in the elevator. When it came to a halt, the doors slid open again and gave them a view of a large room. It looks to be a lounge.

"Well, here's your stop." The guy declared.

As they stepped out, both of them replied with a quick "Thank you". The guy stopped them before the doors slid close once more, "I'm sorry but I didn't catch your names."

"Allie."

"James."

The guy gave them a warm smile, "Well, welcome to SHIELD headquarters."

And then the doors shut close.

The siblings blinked a few times, still not snapping their gaze away from the now closed metal doors of the elevator.

Allie turned to her brother, "Was that..."

He nodded slowly, still not facing her, "Yup..."

"But _how?"_ she yelled out in surprise, prompting James to shush her up. She said in a quieter tone, "That can't be him! He's—he looks so young! His hair is different and he's _blonde."_

"I'm trying to think, Als," he gripped his chin tightly, "But that had to be him. You saw him didn't you?"

"Yes! That's what freaks me out!"

"I think..." he gulped, running a hand through his blonde hair, "I think that we have accidentally traveled to the past."

"What?" she gaped.

James struggled to recall the date that was constantly popping up in the screen when they were in the elevator. When his mind went off with a click, his eyes widened, "I think... I think we're in the year 2017, sis."

Silence ensued between the two. Allie stared at her brother wide-eyed, "2017? But that's twenty years from our time!"

James started to pace around the room, "Think about it though, he looks younger and had a clean-cut shave and not to mention he's also blonde. He couldn't possibly dye and shave altogether when we just saw him this morning looking completely different?"

"My head's starting to hurt." she whined, going to sit on the floor. While doing so, she tried to let James' words sink to her, "But you're right it makes no sense at all."

"See?" he said smugly, "From where we came from, it's the year 2037. He must be around in his twenties right now. Well-physically speaking that is. But.." he ran a hand through his hair again, sighing, "I don't know. I don't know how this happened."

James went to sit on the floor beside Allie. She popped out her cheeks, clasping her hands together as if she was thinking deeply, "So, what do we do?"

"For once, I don't know. You got any ideas?"

"We could talk to Uncle Tony," she suggested, "I'm guessing this had something to do with that weird object. It might not be a teleporter but a _time machine_ after all."

"You think he'll believe us?" he asked.

"Of course he would." she said confidently, "We just simply need to tell him _enough_ secrets to prove it."

"We might need to stay longer than we intend to though." When his sister gave her a confused look, he continued on- "Dad said something about Uncle Tony being on a mission right? We need to wait for him to get back."

She groaned, mentally forgetting that part, "Ugh, you're right." She rubbed her face, "You know I just realized something."

"What?"

"If we _are_ sent back in time.. and the person we just saw earlier _is_ dad after all..." she trailed off.

James caught onto her meaning, "Then that would mean the rest of them is also living in this facility too."

"And since our parents are both an Avenger..."

The two siblings shared a look. "Then we'd get to see mom too!" Allie shrieked.

James had a puzzled expression, "Why do you sound so excited?"

"What? No! I'm nervous!" she declared, "Have you seen the movie where the kid gets sent back in time and accidentally disrupted his parents' meeting and put his existence in danger?"

His eyes lit up in recognition, "Oh! Back to the Future? Come on that's a classic! Of course, I know it."

Allie sent her a flat look. "That's not the point. The point is we shouldn't do something stupid enough to put both ourselves at risk."

"You're overreacting." James mused, "I'm sure dad and mom would find a way to each other no matter how much we change the timeline. Okay, saying that made me cringe."

She flicked his ear.

"Ow! Wha—what was that for?"

"You're annoying," she complained.

"I'm not," he rubbed his reddish-ear, "You just have nothing else to do."

She sighed, "I'm just scared and nervous."

"We both are," James said, giving her shoulder a light squeeze, "But we'll be back home before you know it."

Allie looked up at him.

"Trust me," he assured, ruffling her hair in the process.

She smiled but nodded anyway. They simply sat on the floor, their bodies pressed against the back of the couch. They continued to talk about random things until before they knew it, sleep had consumed them.

The two siblings passed out beside each other on the floor.


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** STARON AND BRUTASHA.

The facility was filled with numerous chatters once again. Phone calls resonated against the metal walls, as well as the continuous tapping of the computer screens. The SHIELD agents conversed with one another quietly—yet due to the growth of population, their discrete chatter buzzed around the whole floor.

The Avengers were surprisingly—not being sent on a mission today. They would mostly be doing a lot of training to keep them in shape. All were chatting one another with a smile, sometimes, a good laugh would come up too.

But their captain was distracted. He remained quiet and would only pipe in the conversation if he was asked or talked to directly. His mind drifted off to the young agents he had found lurking in the hallway last night.

He had hoped to see them when he went down to the main working area of the SHIELD agents but was disappointed when he didn't see either one of them. Something about them was strange yet he couldn't quite put his finger on what it is.

"Steve?" he jerked his head sideways to find Natasha looking at him in concern, "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah." he blinked a few times, looking to see his other teammates still chattering around, "Sorry, I spaced out."

Natasha frowned, "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just—I'm thinking." he added, "I'm looking for someone."

"I think Sharon went out to get the documents—"

"No, not her." he cut her off. When the spy gave her a look of confusion, he suddenly asked, "Did Stark ever mentioned something about SHIELD having new recruits?"

She shook her head, "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Before I went to sleep last night, FRIDAY informed me that there was someone trying to access the elevators at level 2. So I checked it out and found a guy and a girl looking lost."

"And? What did they tell you?" she questioned.

"That they were actually the new recruits of Stark and had been told to stay in the facility because they would be given their final breaching today."

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "Today? But Tony won't be back until tomorrow. Are you sure they're telling the truth?"

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "I don't know. I mean I did ask them the security question and they passed. We all know that only SHIELD agents know the answer to that."

"Let me guess," A teasing smirk formed on the red-head's lips, _"Language?"_

Steve visibly reddened, "Stop it."

Natasha slumped back in the couch, "Well, you said it yourself—they gave you the answer you needed. So what are you worrying about? They're just a couple of average SHIELD agents too."

"Yes, but.." he trailed off, looking around, "I don't know. There's something about them that _makes_ me curious."

The spy rolled her eyes, "Let it go for now. If it makes you feel any better, I'll keep an eye out for them too."

"Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah, just tell me what they looked like."

He hesitated to answer, scratching the back of his head. He smiled apologetically, "I didn't actually see them crystal clear last night because it was dark but I do remember the guy being blonde and the girl being a redhead."

"A blonde and a redhead? You're sure you're not describing us there?" she accused him playfully.

Steve's eyes widened in realization, "Oh, jeez you're right... but I swear! I swear they were both a blonde and—"

He was cut off by Natasha's soft laugh. One that he noted liked hearing from her.

"I'm just teasing, Steve. Sure, I'll take a look at them myself. In the meantime though, have you heard about the welcoming party?"

When his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she took this as a response.

"I'm guessing you still haven't." she deduced.

"Welcoming party? For what?" he asked.

She stretched her legs in front of her, "You know Tony, always the diva. Said that everyone should've miss him by the time he gets back and decided to throw another one of those."

"That sounds like Stark, alright." he mused.

"So, you feel like coming?"

"It depends. When's the party?"

Natasha popped out her cheeks, trying to count off using her fingers, "On the 19th I guess? That's one... two... three... four... five— five days from now."

"Maybe I wouldn't mind if Sharon wants to come—"

"Of course I'd love to darling."

He smiled at the familiar voice, craning his neck around to see Sharon approaching him also with a big smile on her face.

"Hey," he breathed out.

"Hi," she leaned down to give Steve a quick kiss on the lips. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she finally looked at Natasha, "Oh, hey Nat!"

"About damn time you notice me, Carter." she tried to frown but ended up with a lopsided smile instead, "So, you going to the party or not?"

"Of course," Sharon answered for them, "And you? I'm sure you and Bruce could also take the night to _enjoy_ yourselves." she winked at her.

Natasha knew what she meant and flustered up, "You're such a pervert."

"I'm not!" she defended, "If I am, Steve wouldn't be a clean soul anymore."

"Sharon!" he blushed furiously, squeezing her hands in the process.

"What? It's true. It's not like Natasha's an innocent little one here. She had her fair share of moments." she stated slyly.

"Well, everybody needs practice." she defended, her cheeks still tinting a little pink.

"Wait," Steve looked at them in disbelief, "You guys _talk_ about this?"

The two women rolled their eyes. Natasha let out an amused chuckle, "Oh, Steve. you innocent little puppy. No wonder Sharon's fallen for you."

The three then went on to join the others' conversations. Although, unbeknownst to them, the two siblings were hiding behind a wall—having just heard _and_ seen the whole thing that had happened. Thanks to their inherited spy and soldier-like skills, the Avengers hadn't notice their presence at all.

Yet what the two siblings seen completely caught them off guard.

Allie looked at her brother in shock, her mouth completely ajar, "D-did you.. did that just.."

James was still frozen in his spot too.

She held a hand to her stomach, "I think I'm gonna be sick..." she dashed out of the room and nearer towards the elevators, leaving James gaping by himself.

What they just saw— seeing their dad kissed someone who's not their mom— _ew. Just gross._

_And not to mention the fact that they were completely scarred for life._

* * *

Natasha had just went out of the training room to fetch a drink. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she wiped it off with the back of her hand. Many SHIELD agents greeted her as she passed by them. She responded back with a smile.

As she took a bottled water from the fridge, a low voice said behind her, "Good morning, Natasha." he kissed her cheek.

She gulped down the liquid, before turning to him, "Good morning. Sorry if I smell like a wet dog. I just finished training."

"I can see that," Bruce opened the fridge to pour himself a glass of orange juice, "Are the others training too?"

"Yeah, except you." she said, smirking, "I'm pretty sure the big guy needs to work out to be in shape too."

Bruce scrunched his face, "Yeah.. I'm gonna pass." he took a sip of the juice, "So, do we have any plans today?"

"Well, missions don't start till next week I heard. They're giving us the break we need." Natasha responded, finishing off remaining content of water.

He chuckled, "Wait, let me rephrase that— do _you_ have any plans for today?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow, grinning playfully, "No.. why? You got something planned big guy?"

Bruce casually leaned closer on the counter, "I do. In fact, how do you feel going out tonight? It's been a while since I've taken you out to dinner."

The spy leaned in closer, muttering quite flirtatiously, "I think that would be lovely, honey."

"Great," the smile reached his ears, "Maybe around 6? Is that okay for you?"

Natasha erased the distance between them, leaning in to give a quick peck on his lips, " _More than_ okay."

They gazed at one another in silence. Until the sweet sound of laughter from Natasha broke it off. The couple shared a smile, chuckling at one another's playfulness.

Then they heard a voice from the hallway. It sounded like a guy's voice.

"Shh! Be quiet, Als! Someone might hear you." The guy scolded.

Natasha's eyebrows furrowed, craning her neck to try and find out whose voice it belongs to. She was surprised when a guy and a girl emerged from the corner. They were busy in their own little conversation, not noticing them in the room.

"I'm sorry if I'm freaking out here! You saw her kiss him didn't you? I don't... I don't understand how you can be so calm right now." the girl said flatly, shooting the guy a glare.

"I'm _trying_ to stay calm," he hissed, "We need two sane minds to get back home and since you're already losing yours, it's a pity if I'll lose mine too aye?"

The girl punched his arm, making him wince in pain. Yet suddenly, just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, she stopped short instead. Slowly, the girl looked sideways to see Natasha staring at her, confusedly. Her green orbs starting to narrow at the two.

"Oh... I didn't see you there," The girl let out an awkward chuckle, "Sorry."

Natasha took in their appearances. The girl had red hair and what shocked her the most— was that it's exactly the same shade as hers! When her eyes dropped to the guy beside her, she noticed that he, unlike the girl, had blonde hair instead.

When Bruce noticed that Natasha wasn't responding, he was the one to ask them instead, "I'm sorry guys but I'm gonna ask you to break it up. This lounge is strictly for the Avengers only."

The girl turned pink, "Y-yes. I'm sorry. We'll go."

James butted in, "I'm sorry. We're just new here so.."

Natasha's eyes lit up in recognition, she stopped them before they could leave, "Wait," she called, making their heads turn to her, "Are you the new recruits?"

"New recruits?" Bruce asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, Steve told me this morning. Apparently, Stark accepted new recruits without even thinking to tell us." she crossed her arms, slight annoyance dripping in her tone.

The siblings looked at one another in horror, gulping simultaneously.

"Oh," Bruce chorused, then glanced back to the two in front of them. He knitted his eyebrows, "Aren't you guys too young to be agents? How old are you?"

James stammered, "Uh.." He could practically feel Natasha's eyes on him, trying not to wince. His mom's interrogating looks would always scare the hell out of him. She's ten times worse than dad.

Allie filled in for him, "I'm eighteen. He's twenty." she lied smoothly.

Bruce nodded understandingly, "I see. Sorry, I was just a tad bit confused."

"Well, the captain said the same thing when he first saw us. We're relieved to find out we look younger than we are." Allie said with a smile.

James can never be more thankful enough for having a sister that was good at lying. Allie can always make up excuses on the spot without even fidgeting or twitching. He, on the other hand, starts to sweat up nervously before he could even say a lie.

He may be the kind to sneak out at night to go to random parties and all that— but he could _never_ lie to his parents once he got home.

"This was an awkward way of meeting each other but thank you for telling us that this floor's restricted." James said, avoiding Natasha's penetrating gaze.

"Sure," Bruce was the one to respond, "Here's a tip though, try to keep your voices to lower frequencies. SHIELD agents aren't all for it when they see a couple fight."

James almost choked on his own breath. He stared at him, flabbergasted, _"What?"_

"You think we're.. we're.." Allie gestured between the two of them, before both let out a disgusted look.

"Aw.. _gross!_ " They shuddered at the thought of it.

Bruce paused for a second, taking a look at Natasha, who simply had a puzzled expression on her face. He raised an eyebrow at them, "Er.. are you two not together?"

"No!" They exclaimed.

"Ah.." Bruce gave them a sheepish look, "I apologize. You two just seem.. well.. I assumed you know."

James explained, "She's my sister."

The declaration only made Natasha even more confused. They were _siblings?_ But they looked completely afar from one another. The girl had fiery red hair, while the boy had a dark shade of blonde. She narrowed her eyes at this. Why, they had no similar features!

"And your names?" Natasha asked.

"Allie," the girl—Allie, answered.

"James," the blonde guy said.

Natasha nodded, before shrugging off the puzzled expression she had and offering a smile, "Nice to meet you. I'm Natasha, and this is—"

"The strongest Avenger, we know." James cut off with a grin.

Bruce didn't know how to respond to that, so he settled with a— "Thank you?"

Natasha smiled in amusement, turning back to the siblings, "Have you guys been given a tour of the facility already?"

They both shook their heads. Allie answered, "Not yet."

"Maybe that explains why we keep getting lost." James mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"Perhaps so," Natasha gave a lopsided smile, "I could show you around." she offered, sounding a little bit carefree.

"Really?" Allie's eyes lit up in surprise, "That would be—"

"—fine but we already asked Maria Hilll to give us the tour." James cut her off briskly.

Allie asked confusedly, "I don't recall saying—"

"Remember?" James gave her _that_ look, "Right after we ate breakfast and we bumped into her in the lobby?"

She caught his drift, "Oh.." she laughed sheepishly, "Right. I do remember now."

Natasha and Bruce raised an eyebrow at their strange behavior. The two siblings looked at them apologetically before pointing at the exit on their far right, "So, thanks for the offer, but we better be going now." James said, forcing a smile.

"But you just got—"

"Yeah," Allie cut her off. She knew her mom doesn't like being cut off during a conversation but it was fulfilling to do anyway. She followed her brother outside, "It was both lovely to meet you! Bye!"

Then they hurried though the exit and out of their sight. Once they got near the elevators, they stopped a moment to catch their breaths.

James bent over, holding his knees for support, "Alright, we're officially screwed."

Allie, still panting, sent him a glare, "Of course we are. You just turned down her offer! She'll know something's up from the way your face looks a while ago."

"I turned her down because I know she'll be asking us questions." he reprimanded, "You saw the way she looked at us, didn't you? You know how mom interrogates. It's crazy."

Her sister sighed, wondering how her dad got away with his mom sometimes. "Well, that makes the job a lot easier for the both of us." she muttered sarcastically, "Now we got both dad _and_ mom on our tails."

"Speaking of dad..." He brought up, shuddering at the memory, "Did you see the girl he kissed earlier?"

Allie groaned, disgusted, "God, don't remind me. I think it was Aunt Sharon. Why on earth would he kiss Aunt Sharon? That's gross!"

"I don't know... but mom's in the same room with them, though. She looks fine seeing it." He mentioned, his forehead creasing, "So, what's that supposed to mean?"

Her sister could only gave him a _I don't have a fucking clue_ look.

He sighed, shaking his head, "Just one more day. One more day and we'll get to see Uncle Tony." James reminded.

"I never thought there'd come a day I'll say this— but I desperately want Uncle Tony's presence right now." Allie stated.

"Oh, come on, he's not so bad." James asserted, elbowing her with a smirk, "Uncle Tony's like the coolest guy I know. I do think you inherited your Science skills from him."

"Yeah, the only thing I'll be grateful for." she mused, smiling.

They shared a sigh. Probably the 20th time for the day.

 _One more day._ Just one more day to wait for the solution that would bring them back home.


	4. Three

"Can I have a dollar?"

"What for?"

"I'm hungry."

"No, use your own money."

"Please?"

_"Nope."_

"Come on, you know you love me."

"Go away."

Allie pouted at him. James tried hard not to wince at her failed attempt at a puppy dog look. She pressed her forehead against the vending machine, staring at the gummy worms packet with a sullen look.

"My stomach's been making noises for the past hour," she whined.

James rolled his eyes. "Then buy some food so you can eat, genius."

"I don't have any," she admitted, quietly. "I dropped my purse back at the lab."

"Aww..." he mocked her, pursing his lips, "Poor little Allie had lost her money."

She elbowed him in the gut—making him zip his mouth. Allie glared at her brother, "Can't you just lend me a dollar? I promise I'll pay you back."

He rubbed at the sore spot, letting out a groan, "Why do you even want—whatever those are. They don't look the food that could fill an empty stomach."

Allie gasped, looking completely horrified. "What did you say?"

James arched an eyebrow. "Did I say something wrong?"

"How dare you!" she glared at him, "gummy worms are for _everyone,_ you hear me?"

"I'm just saying that they don't look like the type that could satisfy your appetite," he said nonchalantly.

She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head, "I'm ashamed to call you my brother."

"Excuse me?" he gaped.

Allie held out a palm, ushering him to hand over the bill. "Gimme the money. _Now._ I'm not letting this opportunity pass without you getting a shot of a gummy worm."

He scrunched his face, taking out his wallet. "I'm pretty sure I'll be fine not eating—"

She shot him a glare.

James stopped short, gulping. "Yes ma'am," he could only say.

Allie smirked triumphantly. She inserted the dollar bill into the vending machine and pressed the button beside the gummy worm packet. She waited until it fell down to open it. With a grin, she gestured for James to try one.

"Here," she said, with an outstretched hand.

Hesitantly, he went to take one when he felt the slimy texture of the gummy worms and quickly retracted his hand. "Gah!" he exclaimed, shaking off his hand. "You expect me to _eat_ this?"

She rolled his eyes. "It's good just try it—"

James, on instinct, took a step back. "Nu-uh! Nope!"

"You're being a complete poop. They're not real worms if that's what you're so scared about." Allie said, trying one of the gummy worms. She let the delectable sweetness of the candy fill in her mouth before getting a taste of the sourness running down her throat.

He eyed her satisfied look weirdly.

"Well, they sure look like one," he remarked, shuddering. Just after he said that his eyes landed over to the man standing on the far end of the room. James saw that he had finished talking with one of the agents and was heading their way. "Oh, crud."

"Does my love for gummy worms distract you too much?" Allie questioned, taking in his troubled expression.

"No—don't look. Dad's coming this way. Pretend we didn't notice him." James informed, quickly getting into position as if he's busy doing something only to end up looking more awkward. "Err..."

"What on _earth_ are you doing?" she hissed, looking at his uncomfortable state.

"Pretending I'm doing something—oy! Don't look at him!" James chastised when his sister started to look over her shoulder.

She was startled at his sudden rise of tone and sighed. "Till now, I still wonder how _you_ became the leader of our group."

"Als!" he scolded.

"Right, right. I'm not talking to you." Allie said nonchalantly, giving her back to him. "I'm simply standing here while casually helping myself to my own gummy worms and being as normal as possible like a human being—oh! What are the odds! Look, it's Captain Rogers."

They saw Steve walking towards their direction and stopped when he was in front of the two. His eyebrows furrowed as if he's in deep thought. He pointed at her, "It's Allie, right?"

She nodded, smiling, "Bingo. We have a winner!"

James fought the urge to roll his eyes at his sister's antics. The captain then turned to the blonde behind her, he was leaning against the vending machine with arms crossed in an unnatural way. "And you are... James?" he tried.

James stood up straight, giving a nod. "I guess it's surprising to know you didn't forget our names."

"Well, it's not every day I see two young agents getting lost in the facility at night." Steve mused, smirking. "So, what are you guys up to today? Did Maria gave you that tour?"

Allie opened her mouth to answer, "Um... we... we were about to but she seemed rather busy so we decided to do the tour by ourselves. We get lost every now and then but we managed somehow." she finished with a smile, before extending her hand to him. "Gummy worm?"

Steve simply stared at it, not knowing exactly what to do. "Er... what is it?"

"It's not actually... a real worm if that's what you're so worried about." she clarified. Steve glanced at James with a confused look, almost asking him if it was actually edible.

James was shaking his head furiously, mouthing a _'No'_. Allie seemed to sense this and whipped around to catch him in the act.

She sent him daggers causing him to shut up. She turned back to Steve with a polite smile. "I promise. It won't kill you." As if to prove her point, she took one and bit the candy as well.

Steve took a deep breath, accepting her offer. "Alright then."

He ate a piece as the two siblings waited in anticipation for him to finish eating. Once they saw a lump bobbed down in his throat, they watched him silently.

"Well?" she urged, waiting for his reply.

Steve gave her an approving look "It's actually good," he remarked, "nobody ever told me about this—um.... what are they again?"

"Gummy worms." Allie filled in, before turning to her brother with a smug look. "Ha! See? I told you they're good!" she let out triumphantly, letting the grin reached her ears.

James scrunched his face, looking at Steve. "I knew you'd like it too."

"Don't you wanna try it? I'm not a sucker for candies but this one caught my attention." Steve said, still unable to hide his smile at the sight of a cheerful Allie.

"Nah," he disapproved. "I'm more into hot stuff."

Steve looked confused. "Pardon?"

He realized that his words might mean something else and quickly explained—"Oh! Sorry, I meant, spicy food." His cheeks turned pink.

"Oh," He nodded in understanding before deciding to change the subject, "Well, I guess it became a sudden habit for me to bump into you two often but in the meantime, try to make yourself comfortable at SHIELD. Tony would be back by tomorrow morning—unfortunately."

The grunt in Steve's voice went noticed by the two, to which they couldn't help but laugh inwardly. They knew their dad and uncle didn't get along at most times— no matter what time they were in. Nevertheless, they still made their friendship work. Even if neither of them was going to admit it, those two trusted each other as much as they did with their other friends.

"But until then, if you have any questions or some problems at all, you can always approach me about it. Any of us really," Steve assured.

They both nodded, seemingly grateful to hear that. "Thank you, Captain." they said simultaneously.

James wondered what could they possibly do to make the most of their time here. The facility wasn't exactly the place to pass off some time. He, along with his other friends, would mostly be at school doing their football training.

Allie on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Unlike her brother who was usually out, she would be staying home reading a book or watching TV. In fact, if his genius of an uncles weren't busy, she would hang out at the lab trying to learn a thing or two. She wasn't the social, outgoing type like her brother.

What's funny is that even though she's the one mostly in her little circle—she was the one good at lying and making excuses. Whereas, James was not. In fact— like her dad, he was a terrible _terrible_ liar.

Just when Steve started to leave the two alone, she was surprised when James stopped him, "Hey da— Cap! Captain!" he corrected, cursing under his breath for the almost-slip up.

Allie face-palmed. _That was close. Dammit, James._

Thankfully, Steve didn't seem to notice this and casually looked back. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering..." James scratched the back of his head. "If you know where the training room is? Agents are allowed to be in there, right?"

Steve's face lit up. "Of course they are. Why? Do you plan on training?" He asked. James swore he heard the excitement in his tone.

"Yes," he agreed. "It's been a while since we— me and my sister— last trained. We just don't want to fall back to square one."

"That's actually where I was heading to right now." Steve said, ushering them to follow him. "Come on, it's perfect timing. Surely they haven't started yet."

Allie paused. "Wait," she stared at him jaw-slack. _"They?"_

He nodded. "The team's probably training right now but not to worry. The training room's big enough for all of us to use." Without waiting for their response, he started to lead the way.

The two siblings share a look of nervousness before following their dad.

* * *

The three walked inside the training room and was immediately greeted by the sight of people tumbling, knocking, and sparring one another.

James could make out some familiar faces. He saw Hawkeye, Falcon, Vision and Scarlet Witch—yet he believes it makes no sense for them to do training when he can practically do anything—his Uncle Rhodey and his Aunt Sharon.

He immediately suspected his mom missing in action. That was strange.

The Training room did not change a lot as it looked like in their time. Sure, the color of the walls and some of the equipment were different but other than that, nothing much.

"Mom's not here." He heard Allie whisper.

"I know," he whispered back.

Steve gestured at the place with his arms open-wide. "Welcome to the training room." He introduced and almost instantly, the people around them paused to look at the two new faces. They were giving them puzzled looks.

"Do you want to meet the rest of the team?" Steve offered.

Seeing no point to decline the offer, the siblings agreed. "Sure."

They went to Sam and Rhodey first. The two instantly stopped sparring when they noticed their presence. Sweat dripped from their foreheads and their shirts were an uneven color of it—indicating it's drenched with their own.

"Hey, Cap." Sam greeted, stepping down the ring to gulped down a bottle of water. He looked from the corner of his eyes to see the two newbies. He asked once he was done, "Are these the new recruits you're telling us about?"

"Yup." he introduced them. "Sam, Rhodey, this is Allie and James."

Rhodey cocked his head. "Already on a first name basis, I see?"

Steve glanced back at them with a sheepish look. He let out a chuckle, "Right... I never did notice that I didn't get your last names."

James didn't answer and instead looked at his sister. "It's..."

Allie mustered up a blank look and didn't try to fill in for him, instead, urging him to go on. She trust that this time— it would be an easy lie for him to tell.

"Ro—Rogan?" he sounded unsure.

 _Or still maybe not_. Allie thought. She shot him a look through her fake smile.

Rhodey looked at him quizzically. _"Ro-jan?"_ he repeated slowly.

James repeated more firmly this time. "Yes, Rogan. It's spelled as R-O-G-A-N but pronounced as Ro-jan."

"Oh, I see." Rhodey said, before offering a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you Agent Rogan— and you're Agent...?" he waited for Allie to answer.

Allie shook her head, chuckling softly. "We have the same last names. He's my brother."

Everyone, including Steve, had a look of surprise.

"Wait, you're siblings?" he asked, baffled.

James raised an eyebrow. "You thought we were together, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry." he apologized. "The thought didn't crossed my mind seeing as you don't particularly share a resemblance. No offense."

The two couldn't help but agree with him. Many people would often get confused that they were related. Since they inherited both some of their traits from their parents without sharing something similar.

Yet, even if they were far from looking like siblings, people immediately knew who their parents were. They were practically the clones of them. Allie looking a lot like Natasha and James looking extremely a lot like Steve. Well, except his outgoing- _ness_ and naughty acts at times.

"None taken. Honestly, it's a relief to know we don't look alike," James said while Allie snorted in response.

"Huh. Strange," Sam seemed to let it slide as his confused look was replaced by an intimidated one. "Anyway, you guys up for a round?"

Allie stiffened while James looked exceptionally thrilled with the idea. "I'm more than ready to." he smirked.

"But—" Allie tried to warn her brother to not give all his efforts into the training. Since they got a part of their father's serum, they would immediately know something's up if they got too cozy using their strength.

"It's fine, Als." James patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I take it easy on newbies." Sam said lightly.

James knew that Allie wasn't worried about _him_ getting hurt. She was worried about _him_ _hurting Sam_ too much that might make them suspicious.

Allie sighed, nodding hesitantly. "Okay. Good luck."

The two stepped inside the ring and immediately went into position. It was a good thing that James was wearing comfortable clothes enough to fight into.

Steve felt Allie tense as she watched his brother up there with Sam. He rested a hand on her shoulder causing her to look at him.

"Hey, don't worry. I promise, James is going to be fine. It's just a sparring match. Sam's going to take it easy on him." he assured her.

She smiled lightly. "Thanks, Steve."

Allie felt her chest heaved in relief when he removed his hand. His dad's touch sent a nostalgic feeling past her arm, spine and her entire body. It was like she was being pulled back to the memory of her playing princess and dragons with him when she was young.

She snapped out of her reverie when she saw James started to move.

In a defensive stance, he took a step forward. Just when Sam raised his hand to punch him, he blocked it. Then a jab — another block. When he tried to do an uppercut, James successfully blocked it as well and even managed to hit him square in the chest.

Sam looked surprised but regained himself and started to advance again. He tried to hit him in the jaw but James moved swiftly — jerking his head to the right and the left apprehensively.

When he finally laid a punch on his face, James on instinct, punched Sam twice harder and even go as far to doing a spin and kicking him in the gut—making him fly to the corner.

James chest rose heavily as the corner of his lips curved upwards. "I won." he smirked.

When he glanced back to look at them, he could see them nod approvingly.

"I'm impressed," Steve remarked. "No agent has beaten an Avenger the first time around."

Rhodey laughed. "What does it feel to get your ass kicked, Sam?"

Allie grinned, deciding to tease his dad. "Cap, he said a bad language word."

Steve let out an exasperated sigh. "You too, huh?"

She could only smile innocently.

Steve shook his head amusingly, then said, "Okay, your turn now."

"What?" She let out a wary laugh. "Oh, no. I rather not."

"Why? Every agent is required to train you know. Better start now than get scolded later." he told her.

James stepped down from the ring and closer to her. "Steve's right, sis. You'll do great, I know it."

Allie took in a deep breath. "Fine." she agreed. "Who's going up against me?"

"Me."

They snapped their heads at the direction of the voice. Clint, along with Sharon, approached them a smile.

He had his hand raised. "I volunteer."

Allie shrugged as if to say it was fine with her. She waited until he was in front of her.

"Have you ever box before?" Clint suddenly asked her.

Despite the strangeness to start a conversation before a fight, she mustered up a polite smile. "I have, yes."

"Who taught you?" he asked again.

She said proudly. "My mom."

Clint let out a small laugh which made her frown. "And what did you learn from her? Not anything like Tae Bo, Booty boot camp or something like that, I hope."

Allie cleared her throat awkwardly. Her face dimming a bit.

Steve was dragged by Sharon a little farther back from where they were. She made sure that they were out of their hearing reach.

"Who's she?" she questioned, nodding at the red-head's direction.

"The recruit I've been telling you guys about. You see that blonde guy over there? That's her brother." Steve informed.

A crease appeared on her forehead. "Her brother?" She looked between the two. "But they don't—"

"I know." he interjected, finally looking at her. "It's strange."

After watching her carefully, Sharon's face turn into a look of disapproval. "I don't like her."

"What?" Steve was shocked at her statement.

"There's something about her that I can't put my finger on." She glanced at James. " _Both of them._ "

Steve turned defensive. "Hey, I know they're sort of... unusual than the other agents but it's not nice to judge them so easily."

Sharon sighed. "I know that but I just have this feeling like— _oh my God!_ "

Steve's eyes widened at the same time Sharon's jaw dropped in shock. It was because Allie—who was currently sparring with Clint—had managed to grab his hand just when he was about take a hit and twisted her body to lock his neck between her legs. She spun forward and pinned him down.

James cried out in surprise, "Allie!" There was a hint of exasperation in his voice.

She seemed to realize what she'd done and quickly release her hold on the Avenger. "I-I'm sorry." She stood up.

Clint groaned. "It's alright." he struggled to sit up straight. "Damn. I didn't expect that."

Allie tried to apologize again. "I-I'm really sorry. You just caught me off guard."

He waved it off. After a few seconds, Clint smirked. "That was a good audition." They began to step down the ring.

James grabbed Allie's arm the second she got down. "Excuse us for a moment." He told the team before dragging her to a side.

"See?" Sharon came up to him.

Steve put up a perplexed look. "That's weird."

"Yeah, trust me. I still can't grasp the fact that siblings can be a redhead and a blonde," she said.

"No," Steve shook his head. "I meant it's weird seeing them fight this good the first time."

She clicked her tongue. "Another reason why I don't like them. Come on honey, they just defeated two Avengers their first time in training." Sharon lowered her voice. "Don't tell me _that_ doesn't look suspicious."

The captain eyed the two.

From where Steve could see, he could make out James's irritated expression. He was saying something to Allie that- from the looks of it- is ticking her off. They bickered back and forth until Allie zipped her mouth shut.

Steve guessed that James must be the older one between them. He sighed. It was indeed strange.

He swore that all the time he was watching James fight, he couldn't help but recognize his fighting style. It felt familiar to watch.

It was like he was watching his _own_ self fight before him.

He glanced at his girlfriend, putting an arm around her. "Let's not put so much thought into it right now."

Sharon frowned but nevertheless nodded.

Allie was on the verge of being tempted to cut off her ears so she couldn't listen to her brother's rambling anymore.

"Are you done?" she snapped.

"No." He retorted, arms crossed. "You're such a klutz. You were the one who warned me to be careful."

"I know and I said I'm sorry alright?" she said, just wanting to get this done.

James let out a sigh of annoyance. His expression remained stoic. "If something like this happened again, we're going to be completely screwed. Control your strength, Als."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She sighed, promising. "It won't happen again."

James didn't say anything else. He noticed Clint coming their way and tried to force a smile.

"You guys are good. Great, even." He praised.

James shrugged. "I guess hard work does pay off. We train as much as we can back home."

"You said your mom taught you, right?" Clint looked at Allie who nodded in response. "Is she an agent too?"

"Um..." She trailed off, trying to answer as vaguely as possible. "Something like that. Both our parents are."

"And I'm assuming your dad taught you?" He turned to James.

He smiled. "He's the greatest trainer I could possibly have."

For a second, his eyes drifted over to where Steve was standing.

"You know, it's funny." Clint chuckled. "I only know one person who got me down my ass the way you did." He looked at Allie. "You remind me of her."

Allie's heart began to speed up. She tried to put up a casual expression, pretending to be clueless. "R-Really? Who?"

James gulped in nervousness.

Clint smiled as he responded, "I think you've met her already. Natasha Romanoff?"

Allie let out a laugh at how ironic the question sounded to her ears. "How could I not?"

_Yup. They were screwed._


	5. Four

Once they were all done training, Allie and James were the first ones to leave the room. Not even having the chance to get introduced to Sharon, which just made her more reluctant of the two.

Sharon went up to Steve and asked if he wanted to eat dinner with her on the terrace. He accepted immediately and excused themselves from the team to head out first.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm sweaty?" she asked, referring to the arm draped around her.

Steve chuckled. "No, Sharon."

She looked up, making a few strands of blonde hair fall past her forehead. "Even if I smell bad?"

He rolled his eyes in amusement. "Even if you sweat like a barbarian—"

"Hey!" she pouted.

"I don't care because you're here with me now." he finished, smiling cheekily. "That's what matters."

Sharon blushed, wrapping an arm around his waist to hug him tighter. "You're such a tease." she cooed.

Once they got to the elevators, she told him to wait for her on the terrace while she goes to take a shower and order take-out. Steve, being the gentleman that he is, told her to not bother since he initially planned to cook for their dinner.

"I'll be right back." She gave him a lasting kiss on the lips before stepping into the elevator. "Just so you know, you're welcome to step inside the shower anytime." she winked at him just before the doors closed.

Steve visibly reddened. Shaking his head at her naughty offer before proceeding to the kitchen. Once he got there, he immediately started getting to work. He opened the fridge to see if he could find anything worth cooking.

His eyes then spotted a whole chicken. He grinned. "Hey, FRIDAY?"

 _"Yes, Captain Rogers?"_ The AI responded within seconds.

"Is someone planning to cook this chicken?" he asked.

_"No, Captain. But it was just brought in this morning from the market, still fresh as ever."_

Steve rubbed his hands in excitement. "Good." He took out the chicken, got some herbs and spices from the pantry and laid them all out on the kitchen countertop. He started to preheat the oven for later purposes.

He shrugged off his jacket and wore his apron — one sporting of a stars and stripes design in favor of his Captain America title. He started off with the vegetables, slicing them down to his desired cuts. Then he turned on the stove, tossing some oil before pouring in the vegetables. He continued to stir-fry while adding the seasoning.

"Get a whiff of that." 

He looked over his shoulder to see Natasha smiling at him.

And wow — did _she_ looked beautiful. Steve noticed that she looked too dolled up for just a casual dinner here at the facility. 

Her emerald-green eyes looked at him in amusement. Shockingly and strangely enough—Steve felt his heart beat faster at the sight of the girl in front of him.

"Hey, Nat." he greeted with a smile. 

"What's tonight's specialty?" she asked, peering her eyes over to see what he was cooking.

Steve shrugged. "Nothing special. Just chicken and vegetables."

Natasha sniffed the air, feeling her stomach grumble at how good it smelled. "Damn, Cap. That doesn't smell like just chicken and vegetables. It smells amazing."

The captain's ears turned pink at her words of appraisal. "I guess being handed down of mom's cooking skills does pay off." 

"Mm." She nodded in agreement, her mind coming to a conclusion. "Dinner with Sharon?"

"Yeah," he answered, sparing her a glance before turning back to the pan. "And you? Judging by your dress and fancy earrings, it looks you don't plan on having dinner here tonight." 

"Well..." She leaned against the table. "I was supposed to meet Bruce at the lounge at 6 but he's not there. Then I smelled... _this_ and followed it and... here I am." she smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, of course. Date night." Steve chuckled. "You should probably check on him again. Men are never late on a date. Especially if they're the ones who first asked you out."

Natasha cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so? Are you speaking from experience, Cap?" she was smiling in amusement.

He left the pot and took a towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead—unconsciously making his biceps bulge harder into his sleeves.

Natasha didn't know why her heart skipped a beat at the sight.

Steve looked up at her, his hair and face slightly damp from the sweat. "Probably. But mostly on facts. I sure wouldn't be late for my date if she's as beautiful as you, Nat." 

There was it again. Her heart trying to rip its way out of her chest. Her face had a tinge of surprise at Steve's sudden burst of flattery but to the super soldier — it didn't seem like a problem. It was probably just a genuine compliment.

"Oh, uh... thanks, Steve." She suddenly found the floor interesting to look at.

Steve didn't fail to notice her cheeks turning a bit pink.

Just on cue, Bruce walked in on them. "There you are!" he walked up to Natasha to give her a kiss on the cheek. He laced his hand through hers.

Steve found himself looking away, trying to ignore the tightening feeling in his stomach. _What the heck is the matter with him?_

"Hey, Cap." Bruce greeted him, his face turning into one of approval. "Woah. That's a good smell."

"Steve's also got a date with Sharon. He's doing it the old-fashioned way," she said, winking at Steve.

He blushed. "I try my best."

"It certainly smells like the best." Bruce guaranteed, looking at his watch. "So, we still got about ten minutes before our reservation. Wanna head out now?" His question was directed to Natasha.

"Sure," she smiled, before turning to Steve. "Thanks for the company, Steve. Oh! And good luck on your date." 

Steve smiled back. "Likewise, Nat, Bruce." he added, "You two enjoy yourselves."

The couple bid him goodbye before heading out to the elevator. Steve turned his attention back to his cooking, beginning to spice up the chicken and brushed it off with the sauce he made before putting it in the oven. He set the vegetables aside and waited.

He knew Sharon always took a long time in the shower—to which he had no idea why. It only takes him ten minutes to shower but Sharon usually takes about an hour. 

But he wasn't complaining now, he needed all the time he can get to prepare.

_Ting!_

The roast chicken was done. Steve put on the oven gloves and got the tray out. The moment the aroma reached his nostrils, he moaned in delight.

_You did good, Rogers._

He assumed that Sharon was already dressing up and would probably head down in a few minutes or so. He could still have the time to freshen up.

"FRIDAY? Tell Sharon I'm just going to clean up." said Steve. "The food's ready anyway. I'll meet her at the dining."

_"Duly noted, Captain."_

While he was in the shower, Steve couldn't help but ask himself about what happened earlier. Why did it bother him to see Nat and Bruce together?

It just didn't make any sense at all.

* * *

The next morning, Allie woke up to the sound of her alarm beeping. She groaned, reaching to shut it off. She stretched against the mattress, tossing to the side to cover her face with a pillow.

"James?" she murmured.

Since they weren't official SHIELD agents yet, she and her brother were temporarily assigned to share a room together. But it doesn't mean they had to share the same bed — now that was just weird.

When there was no response, she lifted her head up to glance at his bed. 

Only there was no one there.

She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly while looking around the room. She stood up and walked over to his bedstand to find a note.

_Allie, I couldn't sleep. If you're wondering where I am, you know where I usually go to ease my mind,_

She sighed. Poor James. She knew her brother must still be worrying on how where they going to get back. They were already gone for two days.

Wait.

Two days...

She gasped in realization.

_Uncle Tony must probably be here now!_

With that thought in mind, she quickly washed her face, took a shower, brushed her teeth, and rushed to her closet to see if there was anything appropriate to wear other than her pajamas.

She ' _ooed'_ in amazement to find a SHIELD uniform exactly her size. When did this get here? Seeing no other outfit available, she shrugged out of her pajamas and into the uniform. It's not like the first time she wore this. Back at home, this looked almost the same as her uniform.

Allie dashed out of the hall and proceeded to the elevator. She needed to find James first before she met up with her uncle.

She pressed her finger on the plate but was not surprised to find it blink red.

_"Access denied. You do not have permission to enter the upper levels."_

She suppressed a groan. It slipped her mind that they weren't given the full authority like the other agents have yet. 

But it led her wondering—how did James get to the training room? She knew that it was the only place James could have gone.

She was startled when a hand suddenly shot out beside her. Her thumb pressing on the plate, waiting as it turned green.

_"Access granted."_

Allie turned around.

Natasha smiled at her, motioning towards the elevator. "Sorry about that. Stark must've still forgotten to take care of it."

"Mr. Stark's here?"

"Unfortunately," she mused, but she knew she was joking. "He just arrived shortly this morning. What floor?"

"Level 4 please," Allie answered as Natasha pressed the button on her designated floor. "Thank you."

"No problem." Natasha said, before asking lightly, "So, how's your stay with SHIELD so far? Everything going to your liking?"

She nodded, "Yeah, everything's great. I hope Mr. Stark finally approves of our application here."

"I'm sure he would." Natasha added, looking at her, "You and your brother made quite the impression here you know."

Allie felt her face heating up. She tried to avoid her eyes, "Oh yeah?" She chuckled, trying to mask her nervousness. "Hopefully a good one."

Dammit. Why was this elevator slow when you need it to be quick?

"Yup," Natasha leaned against the walls casually, smiling. "I heard about what you did at training. When I heard you brought Clint down his ass, that's what caught my attention."

Allie breathed deeply. She knew where this was going. She knew how her mom interrogates and this sounded a hell of a lot like it.

She was fishing for information.

"Did I managed to impress the Black Widow?" Allie pretended to gasp.

Natasha laughed. "Only a little. But you must know that I don't get impressed that easily. I just wished I was there to see it for myself."

Allie could only smile shyly, not knowing what to say anymore.

"Maybe the next time you go training, I'll make sure to stick around." she declared, smirking at her.

"Yeah..." Allie slightly winced but didn't let her guard down. "That sounds like a challenging idea."

"Because it is," Natasha insinuated. 

_Ding!_

Allie felt a sigh of relief wash past her. _Finally._ "Well, this is my stop," she said, waving at Natasha. "See you."

"Allie," she called out.

She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath before turning around to face her with a casual expression. "Yes?"

"The uniform. It looks good on you." Natasha complimented. 

Her eyes drifted down to the uniform she was wearing and noticed it looked almost identical to what her mom was wearing too. "Oh," she said. "Thanks, mo—um—Natasha." she smiled nervously.

She nodded in acknowledgment before the elevators slid closed. She felt her knees wobble at the incident that had just happened.

Allie was a good liar. But when it came to their mom — she was just no match for her. _At all._

Shrugging that thought out of her mind, she hurried to find James and get them out of this mess at once.

* * *

Unfortunately, James woke up earlier than Allie did and decided to clear his head by venting out the problems in his mind. To his surprise, he found Steve and Sam sparring on the ring the time he arrived.

And now, he regretted the decision of coming here.

"I'm telling you, Cap—it's _scary._ "

"You're thinking too much, Sam. Leave it be and just get to work."

Sam sighed, shaking his head as his eyes landed on the direction where James Rogan was standing and was currently murdering the poor punching bag. He couldn't just let it go.

"It's literally right there. It's so obvious, Steve. I don't know how you can't see it. Look." Sam pointed but Steve made no efforts to follow his gaze, still gulping the bottle of water. "He has the same blonde hair and the same chiseled jaw as yours. The same _face,_ actually. The only thing different is the eyes. You sure he's not like... a long lost brother or something?"

Steve looked at him exasperatedly, "How could I have a relative when I've been down on the ice for 70 years?"

James noticed what they were doing. Despite the two men trying to converse as quiet as possible, he could hear it all the way from the other corner of the room thanks to his dad's serum. It enhanced his hearing as well. Not as great as his dad—but enhanced, nevertheless.

 _Close enough,_ he thought, yet kept his green eyes trained on the punching bag in front of him.

Sam considered the point. "Yeah, man, I know. But seriously—"

"Sam," Steve interjected, indicating that he didn't want to have this talk. "Drop it. And I really want to finish my stuff before Natasha comes and thinks we're slacking off. You know how serious she is when it comes to training."

"Fine," he said in a defeated tone, taking another gulp from his bottle before turning back to the ring.

James sighed in relief, glad that the conversation was over. But he was worried too. Sam wasn't the only one who noticed so far—in fact, a _lot_ of people were already beginning to see their similarities. He couldn't say or do something that would cover up the fact that he looked like Steve Rogers because he _did_ look like Steve Rogers.

_Why was life so damn complicated?_

Out of frustration, he narrowed his green eyes and punched the bag harder than he expected and caused the bag to tumble over, the sand seeping out. He winced. He had broke the bag.

"See? See? He even has your habits of destroying the punching bag!"

_"Sam!"_

James groaned. _Great._

_Where was Uncle Tony when they needed him?_


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gentle reminder that this: IS A FLUFF/LIGHT ROMANOGERS STORY.
> 
> I'm sorry, I just get tired of repeating that this isn't intended to be a heavy fic with a lot of character analysis and stuff. So, I'm sorry for those who're expecting me to include every detail there is about Steve, Natasha, and the rest of the Avengers to make this story as realistic as possible. (AGAIN, I WROTE THIS FIC LAST 2017 AND JUST REPOSTED IT).
> 
> I don't mean to be rude but if you don't like the light theme of this fic, then feel free to stop reading anytime.

"Welcome back, Mr. Stark."

Tony smiled back at the brunette agent in acknowledgement—for she was giving him a look that the billionaire knew all too well.

"Your _much of a cooler_ boss has returned," he winked.

The agent gave him a flirtatious look before walking off—making sure to swing her hips in the billionaire's eyes as seductively as possible.

Tony stared at her behind of course but knew better than to follow her. He was sure Pepper would give him a smack in the head if he does. He is a changed man—as he would like to put it.

"Hey! Tony!"

He whipped around to see Clint making his way towards him. "Hey, Legolas! Missed me?"

Clint shot him a look. "The answer's no if you won't stop calling me that."

"Killjoy," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes. He took the time to observe what the archer was wearing and noticed that he was in his sweats. "Training?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You should come up and join the rest. Did you bring Thor with you?"

"Nah, I'm gonna pass. I think a sweet long hour in the tub sounds better than risking another round of cramps." Tony said, grimacing. "And yup, Thor's here but I think he went straight to the kitchen to get food."

"Boo. You're no fun."

"I am unfortunately one of the possible people at risk for having arthritis."

"You're _that_ old?" he gasped.

"Tell anyone about it, you can say goodbye to your precious bow." Tony threatened.

Clint snickering. "Guess I know who's really the _old_ man on the team."

Tony glared at him. "Zip it."

The archer rolled his eyes before saying, "Well, once you're up for it, you should go see how your new recruits kick ass. They're incredible!"

This caught Tony's attention.

"New recruits?" he arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" he agreed. "You know you should have told us about them. It would've given them an easier time. Cap almost called the security on them when they got lost one night."

"Wait—hold up, did you just say new recruits?" he asked, dumbfounded.

It was Clint's turn to be confused. "Yes?"

"But I don't remember meeting new recruits. The last time I recruited one was the raven-haired chick we saved on a mission. And that was two weeks ago." Tony explained.

"Really?" Clint asked. "But that's what those two said... and they couldn't be lying because they pass through Cap's authorization. You know how strict Steve is when it comes to that."

"Huh, weird." Tony voiced out, bemused. "Maybe I just forgot."

"Most likely. I'm starting to wonder if you have dementia or something."

"Haha. Funny."

"That wasn't a joke."

"And that was sarcasm. Ever heard of it?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "Just make sure to check on the two. You have to give them their final briefing and rework the authorization scanners. It's annoying to get called on just to press your thumb when they need the elevator."

"Duly noted, Katniss. Thank you."

"You're welcome tin can."

_"Hey!"_

* * *

James stumbled out of the gym, with his sister leading the way. Sam and Steve had watched them make their way out of the room, both sharing perplexed looks, before shrugging and letting them be.

The blonde grabbed her wrist in attempts to stop her fast pace. "Als—"

"Gah!" she jerked her hand away the second she felt the wet slimy feeling of sweat from her brother's palm. "Your hand's wet!"

"Yeah, it's called sweat idiot. Does it ring a bell?"

Allie gave him a not so amused look before starting to walk in her tracks again. After a few seconds, James suddenly spoke up.

"It's bad."

"What is?"

He looked at her in worry. "They're already becoming suspicious."

"They're already suspicious the second we arrived here, James. What's new about that?" she deadpanned.

James shook his head. "No, I mean like _really_ suspicious. Uncle Sam's already noticing how similar I look to dad! And not just him, a lot of people too! And I can't exactly say anything to cover it up because I have no idea how to explain why I do—in fact—look like Captain America." he rambled on, his eyes widening.

"Hey, breathe alright?" Allie said, trying to calm him down. Once he was able to get his breathing normally once again, she continued on. "And I know what you're saying. You're not the only talk on the campus."

"You too?" he questioned.

She nodded. "I heard three agents earlier whispering about how I astonishingly look like Black Widow. They even asked me if I was related to her in any way. How ironic right?"

"What do we do?" James groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was still in his training clothes so he probably sure he smelled like a wet dog. "I can lie and lie but I don't think people are going to buy it anytime soon."

"This is getting more messed up when I think about it." Allie remarked, sighing. "We've got to talk to Uncle Tony now! Like _right_ now."

"Is he back from the mission?"

"Yup, mom told me. I bumped into her on my way here." She said before her blue eyes sparkled with puzzlement. "By the way, I forgot to ask how _did_ you manage to go to the gym? I tried using the elevator but it's still denying my authentication."

"Uncle Clint helped me. Good timing though, just when I was about to head down to ask help from Maria, he came out from the bathroom."

"Lucky you." she said flatly.

James rolled his eyes not until a voice rang out behind them.

"Cap! Widow!"

The siblings froze.

"There you guys are! I have been looking all over for you two. Clint told me you were in the training room but I didn't—"

The billionaire's voice died away as James and Allie turned around, shocked. He paused in his steps, staring wide-eyed at the two youngsters in front of him.

He blinked, staring at them, bewildered. 

"What the... you're not Cap..." he pointed at James, then turned to the redhead, "and you're not Widow..."

Allie's mouth zipped tight while she blinked back, still dazed by the sudden encounter. James answered for the both of them. "Yeah, we're the uh—new recruits."

Tony's lips were pressed into a thin line.

After ten seconds of silence. The blonde decided to speak up again— "Er... Mr. Stark?" he said, glancing to Allie then back at him with fleeting looks.

"You're not Steve and you're not Natasha but you certainly look like them. What the _hell_ is the meaning of this?" he suddenly asked.

"Mr. Stark—"

"And this is the first time I've seen you guys. Are you the new recruits that I supposedly accepted?" Tony asked, warily.

"Please let us explain." Allie whispered, looking at him pleadingly.

"Explain why there's a rumor going on about me getting new recruits the day I came back from a mission? Or explain why on earth do you look like Natalie and Cap?"

 _"Both."_ They simultaneously responded.

Tony straightened his suit. "Well, then lead the way young agents."

* * *

Once the three were situated in the meeting room, Tony had ordered FRIDAY to not let anyone else in—Avenger or not—for he had a hunch that this stuff was something big.

"Alright," he said, taking off his coat and sitting on the chair at the farther end. He leaned casually as if he was testing it. "So this is what it feels like sitting here."

"You've never sat there?" asked James.

Tony shook his head. "Today's the first time. This is Cap's seat."

James had heard from his dad a few times that back then, way before they were born, he was the one officially considered as the leader of the Avengers. His title of being a captain was actually used for the purpose of him being one. Yet sometime before he was born, their parents had initially thought of resigning from the team.

Apparently, both Steve and Natasha were willing to give up their jobs the second they found out she was conceiving a child—that was him. The Avengers did not take it lightly, of course, they were reluctant to let them go, but Steve promised they would resume their duties once their child was at least a month old.

As what his dad told him, they did keep their promise, but their roles were seemingly lighter and lesser of a handful. Steve had willingly given up his seat as the leader— _the boss_ , as what they'd like to call it, and handed it over to Tony.

Back in their time, Tony was currently and officially the leader of the Avengers.

So it was just silly hearing it now from his Uncle that this was the first time he's ever been on this seat.

Tony clapped his hands making James snap out of his reverie. "Okay, so what do you have for me today?"

James sighed deeply. "I don't know where to start..." he looked at Allie for help.

Allie bit her lip, mirroring the same expression as he has.

"The beginning would be ideal." Tony mused.

And so they did.

James went on to explain why they apparently looked like Captain America and Black Widow—being the son and daughter of them. While Allie explained how they accidentally and by theory, somehow ended up here, in the past.

It was actually challenging for the siblings' part. They knew better to choose their words carefully. Both of them thought carefully about how much information they were only allowed to share—knowing that it could probably jeopardize the future with one wrong slip of their tongue.

By the time they were finished, Tony blinked at them with his jaw hanging wide open.

"So you're saying... you accidentally came here in the time machine that I invented?" he asked.

They nodded.

"And you're actually the children of one of the greatest superheroes in the world?"

Another nod.

"Wow..." Tony said in awe. "This is huge."

"So you believe us?" Allie asked, feeling her heart thumping louder than ever.

Tony shrugged. "Sure," he said as casually as ever.

James and Allie shared a look of surprise, glancing at one another before glancing back at the billionaire seated in front of them with raised eyebrows.

"That's it? Really?" James asked in disbelief. "You're not like going to ask us something that would—I don't know—prove that what we're saying is actually true?"

"Well I know I'm capable of doing some whacky stuff and for your information, I _am_ planning on building a time machine as of the moment. No one knows about it except FRIDAY so..." Tony said, smirking. "But if you'd like to share some _proof_ I'm sure I'd be delighted to hear it."

"You tried to hit on mom while she was working as an assistant for Aunt Pepper." Allie said flatly.

Tony shot up from his seat. "I was not trying to hit on her!" he defended.

"You do too." The redhead smirked mischievously. "You even let her use your repulsors during your birthday party."

"That sneaky little devil."

"And you ended up getting stuck in the vents for two hours because you tried to hide from dad after raiding his closet and replacing all his clothes," James added, crossing his arms.

"In my defense—your dad's taste in fashion is as good as my great great great great great grandpa." he retorted. "And it was an hour and a half! Not _two."_

The blonde grinned, snickering. "The same thing."

"Alright, alright, enough. You two proved your point. Jeez, you are really the children of Natalie alright." Tony said, his eyebrows knitted in annoyance. "But I have a question."

"Shoot," Allie said.

"Cap and Little red _actually_ had sex?" Tony gaped. "How did Nat convinced Cap to finally get laid?"

Allie's ears turned pink as James flushed red.

"Out of all the things we've told you, that's what you're thinking about?" he exclaimed, glaring at the billionaire while becoming flustered.

Tony laughed, smirking in the process. "Yes. Cap's a virgin for almost a hundred years. Something big probably happened for him to give up that title."

Allie was not amused. "How the hell are we supposed to know the answer to that question? We're their children, not their sex consultants." she snapped.

"Did your father ever taught you about watching your language, little lady?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

Allie grunted. "Shut up."

"Don't talk to your uncle that way." he continued to smirk.

 _"Unbelievable."_ she exclaimed.

Tony only laughed hysterically. "You really look _and_ act like your mother."

"And you still look like our grandpa."

"Touché."

"Enough." James ordered, sighing exasperatedly. "Can we please go back to the main problem at hand?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "And you sound just like him."

"Except for his tardiness and sneaking out of the house at times." Allie chimed in, smirking.

"Because I am _way_ cooler than dad," James remarked. "But thanks, I'll take it as a compliment. It's nice to know I share similar things with him."

"I just have one last question."

James groaned. "If this is about mom and dad having—"

"No, I just—" Tony cut the boy off. "Why Allie and James? Did they ever told you about your names?"

"Again, _that's_ your question?" James arched an eyebrow. He actually expected their uncle to ask him about the time machine itself but it seemed like Tony really had his own understanding of things.

They pondered for a moment.

Allie started. "Well... my full name's _Sarah Alianovna_. I was named after my grandmother and mom's second name. They used to call me _Sarah_ but dad felt weird about it so they decided to use _Alianovna_ instead. Eventually, it became a mouthful for them until mom decided to come up with a shorter and more American-ish version of it— _Allie_. So, yeah, dad agreed and they called me that ever since."

She turned to James and prompted him to go on with his side. "I think they named me after dad's best friend. Mom was the first to suggest it but dad was reluctant since he knew it was a bad image for everyone but she assured him it was okay on her part. And the _Grant_ came from dad's second name."

Tony grimaced. "If I have kids I sure wouldn't name them after my parents nor myself."

"Hey, our names are pretty cool." Allie defended.

"Whatever you say..." he sang.

James cut in. "So, will you help us? Will you help us get back home?"

"Of course I will." Tony grinned, standing up. "Who am I to turn away from my niece and nephew?"

The blonde smiled gratefully. "That's our Uncle Tony."

"Okay, lemme stop you there, Captain Jr." Tony winced. "Never call me _uncle_ again. It makes me feel a lot older than I am."

Allie snorted. "As if that's going to change anything."

"You don't really like me, do you?" he asked flatly.

"Don't mind her. She's still a little peachy about everything." James said. "So, do you need any help on the time machine or something? What do we need to do?"

Tony walked over to grab his coat. "Don't worry about the time machine. I actually have the draft outlined right now. FRIDAY? If you please."

 _"Certainly, Mr. Stark."_ the AI responded.

A holographic blueprint immediately spread across the table. It had the sketch of the exact time machine they saw in their time.

"Woah..." Allie said in amazement. "This is cool."

"Thank you." Tony said. "So, is this the time machine you used?"

They nodded in response.

"The exact thing." James answered, taking a closer view of the blueprint. "But I feel like it's missing something."

"It's missing the buttons." Allie filled in.

"What buttons?" Tony asked.

"The green button on the right." she replied, pointing at the indicated spot. "It's supposed to be here."

"Hmm. FRIDAY are you taking this down?" Tony asked.

_"Yes, sir. I have been recording everything since you entered the room."_

"Good." Tony said. "This might take me five or six days tops. In the meantime, you just have to stay out of doing things I _would_ do. And definitely, don't do what I _wouldn't_ do."

"We can do that." James said.

"Have you guys... you know... did something strange for the past days? How long have you been here?" Tony asked, putting on his coat.

"Two days." James answered. "And no, I don't think so."

"Well, we may have bumped into our parents but I don't think we changed anything drastic so far." Allie added.

Tony's eyes widened. "You mean, Steve and Nat already saw you?"

"Is there a problem with that?" asked James.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "You've seen the movie Back to the Future right? Do you know what happened to that McFly kid after bumping into his parents?"

"Relax," James chuckled. "I'm not going to let mom fall in love with me. And we're not disappearing from any pictures so, so far so good."

"Just remember my warning." Tony reminded them, seriousness laced in his tone.

James snorted. "Besides, it's not like they're going to start hitting on either of us since they're already occupied by someone else."

Allie gasped. "Oh golly! Speaking about that, how are we going to fix that part?"

"Fix what?" Both James and Tony asked.

"Fix mom and dad's relationship! You're talking about them being with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bruce like it's completely okay." She shot a look at James, her blue-eyes slowly sparkling with tears.

"Of course I'm not fine with that, Als!" he disapproved, shocked at her conclusion.

"You don't seem like it."

He sighed. "Allie..."

"Listen, this may sound rather crazy but what if... what if we were sent back to the past for a reason?"

Her brother stared dumbly at her.

"Think about it James, out of all the people in the school, why were we the ones drawn to that time machine?"

James felt his irritation rose. "We were _not_ drawn to it. We got here because you couldn't keep yourself from fiddling around with those things in the lab!"

"And this isn't the first time right?" she shot back. "So, why now? I'm telling you it must probably have a reason."

He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know, Als. We're walking a thin line here."

The redhead turned to his suspiciously quiet uncle. "What do you think Unc— I mean, Tony. Is it possible?"

"Hey, don't drag me into your sibling banter." he said, raising his arms up in surrender.

"We just need an honest opinion." Allie sighed.

"Are you sure you really want _my_ opinion?" Tony asked warily.

"We really have no other options so—yes." she answered.

"I'm hurt." He said dramatically. "But to answer your question—yeah, she does have a point, James. But I am not saying it's the right thing to do."

James looked at him, surprised. "Since when do you care about doing what's right?"

"Since now."

"Huh."

"Whatever you guys plan to do, just make sure you're up for the consequences." Tony said, sighing.

"Tony's right, Als. We can't just interfere with the past. The consequences could be far dreadful." James asked.

She glared at him. "Well, do you realize what would happen to us if somehow, mom and dad won't end up together? What's the consequence of that?"

James looked at Allie, pondering over his thoughts for the answer. When his mind finally worked, he swallowed hard at the possibility. "We'll disappear..."

"Yes," Allie nodded. "Exactly, we'll disappear. We'll fade into nothingness and won't exist in the future. We'll disappear in this time!"

He shook his head. "We don't know that..."

"It's just a theory." she turned away. "James, can you actually visualize Mom marrying Uncle Bruce or Dad marrying Aunt Sharon?"

James winced as his sister felt it.

"Thought so." she muttered.

He took a deep breath, being more torn than ever. "Tony...?" he looked to their uncle for help.

"I'm just here for the time machine, kids. But if you _are_ planning on bringing Cap and Nat together—as much as it feels like betraying my science bro—I'll help you. The decision is still up to you. They are your parents after all." Tony said, giving a reassuring smile.

James thought about it for a moment, before letting a mischevious grin. "Okay, okay. You convinced me. So operation of bringing mom and dad together starts when?"

Allie chuckled. "You sound like as if we're going to manipulate them."

He shrugged. "Eh. If this involves dad's awkwardness when talking to girls, it's pretty much the word I would use."

"So how are we going to do this?" Allie asked, sighing deeply.

"I think I have an idea."

Both siblings' turned their attention to Tony.

"I was actually planning to have a sort of welcoming part four days from now. You know, just to celebrate my arrival back home." he said.

"You've been gone how long?" James asked.

He hesitated to answer before saying— "Just two days."

"Ah, right, must be a very long time indeed." he said sardonically.

"Shush. I'm doing the talking." Tony snapped.

Allie snickered as James rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Anyway, so yeah it's party. There's going to be drinks and music and lots of fun."

"Is this like a formal thing or...?" Allie asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah," he smirked. "The theme's formal so you're all gonna have to wear gowns and suits my friends."

"And to think I forgot to bring a gown." Allie tsked.

He shrugged. "You can go shopping. Ask your mom to take you. And you, my boy, are going to come with me for the suit."

"Awesome!" James grinned. "I love getting a new tux."

"So, we have fours days to prepare for the party and to plan something big that would get mom and dad together." Allie voiced out. "And I mean something _big._ "

"First, you two should take care of Bruce and Sharon. There's definitely no chance for a love confession if they're still together with them." Tony pointed out flatly.

"Right." Allie laughed weakly, turning to James. "I'll take care of Dad and you take care of mom?"

He looked at her in confusion. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"I'm closer to dad and you're closer to mom." she remarked.

"Oh, okay." James agreed.

A few seconds passed.

Neither of the three was breaking the silence. When— "I know what could work." James blurted out.

"What?" Tony asked.

"A dance." James said.

"A dance?" Allie repeated.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a dance could work between mom and dad. At the night of the party, there should be like a slow-dance thing and we just have to push them together and make them dance at that very exact moment."

"Hmm..." Allie pondered for a second. "It could work. A dance does seem pretty romantic."

"Then a dance it is." Tony agreed. "Capsicle doesn't know how to dance though, you guys have any idea to take care of that?"

"We'll find a way." Allie said.

Tony grinned. "Then let's get this operation fully started."


End file.
